If the Kaua’i County Council members who were sworn in Friday for two-year terms want to start off with a project that’s a no-brainer and would be a big hit with the public, they can shut down the county parks
If the Kaua’i County Council members who were sworn in Friday for two-year terms want to start off with a project that’s a no-brainer and would be a big hit with the public, they can shut down the county parks after dark.
That would be a sensible attempt to curtail vandalism at the parks, which are open 24 hours a day along with restrooms that take a pounding from malicious goofballs who find sport in busting toilets. County personnel that could be performing other maintenance tasks end up spending time cleaning up the aftermath of vandals. It’s unfair for taxpayers to continue footing the bill for replacing damaged fixtures and repairing other park vandalism without some effort by the county to put a stop to the waste.
Limiting access to the parks to daylight hours could impact law-abiding citizens who visit them in the evenings. But legitimate after-dark park activities are relatively few, and for those, permission and supervision could be arranged through the county. Anyone else in the parks at night without approval from the proper authorities would be subject to civil penalties, their severity depending on what the intruders were doing. An innocent walk in the park would draw a lighter punishment than, say, vandalism.
It’s unfortunate that to protect parks, those who use them the right way must be kept out along with the riffraff. But that’s the price to help give Kauaians the vandalism-free parks they deserve.
Mayor Maryanne Kusaka should also give stronger consideration to having the county install stainless steel restroom fixtures. She recently said it’s cheaper to replace the porcelain variety every three years than to pony up $1,000 per piece for the more indestructible steel units. But making the change eventually could pay for itself.
